Entry requirements

Please see our Entry Requirements page for general entry requirement guidance. You should also have a grade 6 or above in French.

What will I study?

Year One

The changing nature of the family – divorce, living together, civil and religious marriage

Cyber society – positive and negative aspects of new technologies

The place of voluntary work – charities and volunteering in France and overseas

A culture proud of its heritage – tourism, historic monuments and the importance of food

Contemporary francophone music – new and old artists and how they are supported

Cinema: the 7th art form – history and government support for French cinema

You will also study a French language film in the first year

Year Two:

You will build on the topics studied in Year One and study new topics such as:

Positive features of a diverse society - attitudes to ethnic minorities the disabled and other distinct groups

Life for the marginalised – attitudes to poverty

How criminals are treated – criminal system, including the role of prison

Teenagers, the right to vote and political commitment – young people’s and women’s involvement in political life

Demonstrations, strikes – who holds the power? – trade unions and industrial and political unrest

Politics and immigration – the history of immigration and aspects of racism and integration

You will also study a literary work in the second year and build on the work on the film from the first year.

The second year of the course also includes and independent research project, which students often choose to fit in with their other subject choices. This is assessed in the oral exam.

You will have a short lesson with the French assistant each week, and you will be encouraged to spend some time in a French-speaking country during the course.

Assessment

Assessment is by final examination at the end of each year, including a speaking examination, listening and reading comprehension, translation and essays on the film and/or book.

Good course combinations

Students can combine French successfully with the full range of A Levels. The current specification works particularly well with English Language, Film Studies, English Literature, History, Politics and Sociology. The skills needed also feature in A Levels with an emphasis on logic or process such as Maths, Music and the Sciences.

What could it lead to?

Many students go on to a language related degree course. Learning a language at A Level teaches the skills needed to learn all languages so students sometimes choose to start a new language at university e.g. Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese. There are many courses offering courses including language study, combined with another option.

Recently students have progressed to courses including French and Law at Liverpool, French and Spanish at York and History and German at Cambridge. Students progressing to non-MFL courses have opted for Journalism at the University of Westminster, Maths at Newcastle, Classics at Oxford, and Environmental Science at Sheffield.

Possible careers include teaching, translation, journalism, publishing, and work in the tourism or financial sectors. Knowledge of a minority language can increase a student’s options in the job market and the skills developed on languages courses, including analysis, attention to detail and oral skills are valued in many areas of employment. Some students progress straight into a career and many feel that French A Level builds up the confidence and language skills needed for travelling and periods of work abroad.